Machine for decorating paper



Jan. 7, 1930- R. s. BRACEWELL I MACHINE FOR DECORATING PAPER Filed Aug. 10. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

BY Mza ATTORNEYS.

' 1930. R. s. BRACEWELL 1,742,301

MACHINE FOR DECORATING PAPER Filed Aug. 10. 1928 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Jan. 7, 1930. R. s. BRACEWELL MACHINE FOR DECORATING PAPER Fil 10. 1928 SSheets-Sheet 5 rflh/ ATTORNEYS.

' 15 a plurality of Patent ed Jan. 7, I930 RUSSELL S. BRACEWEIJL, OF SOUTH HADLEY, MASSAGHUSETTS,'ASSIGNOB TO THE MARVELLUM COMPANY, or SACHUSETTS HOLYOKE,

MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAS- FOB DEGORATDN'G PAPER Application filed August 10, 1928.- Serial No. 298,769.

This invention relates to machines for decorating paper by What may be referredto generally as the marbling or flotation process. The machine of the present invention is an improvement on that described in the prior application of Heywood. Senseney and Bracewell, Ser. No. 7 58,632, filed Dec. 29, 1924.

. One object of the-present invention is the adaptation of the machine of the prior case referred to for those types of color which permit of only a relatively short period of exposure to the air-before they are applied to the paper. Anotherobject is the provision of compact means for applying simultaneously different colors. ject is the provision of an accurately controllable machine for distributing the colors upon the surface of the water or other colorfloating medium. Other objects will be ap- 0 parent from the following description and claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a machine for coating paper in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a to plan view, on an enlarged scale, of the co or feeding and distributing device;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 3;

Fig. at is a top plan view, on an enlarged scale, of the color distributing unit; and

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

The machine is shown as having the same general arrangement as that shown in application Ser. No. 758,632. The color carrying device comprises an annular trough 10, supported by rollers 11 running on a circular track 12, and holding a body of water or suitably pre ared mixture of liquids 13. The nature of t e liquid mixture 13 is such that the colors deposited thereon will not easily mix therewith but will float on the surface like oil on water. Color, deposited on the surfaceof this water by means to be described, is picked off by the paper web 14 led from a roll 15 and passing over cylinders 16 and 17. The cylinder 17 carries the paper web into surface contact with the moving body of liquid 13 and it will be understood that the surface speed of the paper web is approximately that of the A further obtraveling liquid 13, preferably a little faster than said moving liquid so as to more readily pick up the color therefrom. Suitable rying arrangements may be made as de scrlbed in the prior application referred to. Also,'as described in that application, any excess color not removed from the surface of the water by the paper web 14 is taken up bya web 45 of absorbing paper or the like. It will be understood that'the .term color is used herein in the meaning generally attached toit in the art, referring to the liquid itself rather than to the particular tint orshade thereof. I ,1 I

In application Ser. No'. 758,632, the colormg material was described as being led to the sur are of an irregularly star-shaped rotating disk, from which it was-discharged by centrifugal force in uid surface. Several of these disks were arranged side by the desired color distribution throughout its width. It is sometimes desirable to use several difierent colors, distributed in the same manner from the same axis. and thus ob tain a substantially uniform distribution of the, different colors across the width-of the paper web. I

It is also desirable for some efiects to distribute all the dift'erent colors upon the liquid surface in a'maner to give them an equal time for spreading thereon before the pick-up operation and particularl when this period of spreading is to be ma e relatively short as quick drying colors. Colors of lacquer comprising nitrocellulose compounds are comparatively quick drying and may be expeditiously handled for decorative purposes in the machine of the present invention- Accordin to my invention, I provide a plurality 0% color distributing disks on a common axis, each" separately controllable as to the amount or kind of color which it distributes. While I have illustrated but one of these devices, it will be understood that a plurality may be disposed across the tank if desired, or may be spaced longitudinally of the tank in case, for some s ecial effect, a variation in the drying time or different colors is desirable. This improved color disside across the tank to give a rain'of'drops onto the liqtributing unit is mounted on a vertical shaft 18,.shown as provided with a bevel gear 19 meshing with a second gear 20 which may be rotated by any suitable source of ower. Fastened to this shaft is a distributing disk 21 held between nuts 22 and 23. The latter of these nuts is preferably soldered to a cylinder 24 of a slightly larger diameter than the shaft'so as to form an annular color receiving channel 25. The lower end of the cylinder 24 is threaded to receive nuts 26 and 27 clamping between them a disk 28. Nut 27 is preferably soldered to a cylinder 29 of larger diameter than cylinder 24 and forming a second annular chamber 30. The lower end of the cylinder 29.is threaded to receive nuts 31 and 32 clamping between them a disk 33, nut 32 being soldered to a cylinder 34 of larger diameter than cylinder 29 and forming therewith a third annular chamber 35. The lower end of cylinder 34 is threaded to receive nuts 36 and 37 clamping between them adisk 38, nut 37 being soldered to a cylinder 39 of larger diameter than cylinder 34 and forming therewith a fourth annular chamber. 40. w

There is thus formed a series of four concentric annular chambers each capable of holding a different color without mixing withthe colors in the other chambers. The

number of chambers may, of course, be varied as de ired. The chambers are provided with holes 41, 42, 43 and 44 near their hottoms, the holes leading respectively onto the upper surfaces of the disks 21, 28, 33 and- 38. If separate streams of color are directed to the several annular chambers, they will pass individually and without mixture onto the-surfaces of the disks; These disks are preferably of the irregularly star-shaped form shown in the prior application Serial No. 758,632, and are rotated at a speed high enough to throw the colors outwardly in a spray of drops. The drops of each color strike the'sur ace of the liquid within a common area and gradually s read out and blend into one another as the liquid passes from the distributor to the paper carrying cylinder 17. 4 i

It will be noted that in this waythe different colors are all given an e ual period for spreading out and drying efore the pick-up o eration at cylinder 17. The eriod for rying isof course determined by the proximity of the distributor to the cylinder 17 and by thespeed of'the moving liquid 13. The distributor is placed as close as is practical to said cylinder 17 and for quickdrying colors'such as lacquer, the speed of the. ingly.

Any desired means may be emplo ed for supplying color to each of the cham ers. I have shown a plurality of color-receiving tanks 50 into each of which dips a wheel 51.

moving liquid 13 is regulated accordmeasgi The tanks are suitably supported above the distributing mechanism previousl described, and are preferably arrange about the distributor in the form of a hollow square. The several wheels are carried on shafts 52 journaled in suitable bearings 53 and connected by bevel gearing 54 so as to rotate together. A pulley 55 attached to'one of the shafts may serve as a suitable source of power. Bearing against each wheel is a scraper or doctor 56 merging into a pipe 57 directed downwardly to one ofthe annular chambers on the dIlStIlblltOL,

In application Serial No. 758,632, the amount of each color fed was regulated by varying the speed of the wheels which are dipped into the color tanks. For the purpose of the present case, such an arrangement would present disadvanta es due to. the desirability of regulating eac color separately while keepin a simple driving mechanism for all of the color wheels. The regulation in the present case is accomplished by a novel arrangement consisting of a supplemental doctor 58 adjustably mounted as by set screws 59 adjacent each wheel so as to scrape off any desired amount of color before the wheel meets the doctor 56. These supplemental doctors may be held in any desired degree of contact with the wheels or may be .removed entirely from such contact, as indicated by the different positions of the several doctors in Fig. 2.

What I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for ornamenting a web of material in which the color is sup lied to the web by tangential contact with a ody of carrier liquid, the combination thereof with a plurality of coaxially, arranged rotating disks, and individual means for supplying color to each disk, each disk being adapted to discharge the color in drops ontothe surface 7 of the carrier liquid by centrifugal force.

2. In an apparatus for ornamenting a web of material in which the color is supplied to the web by tangential contact with a body of carrier liquid, the combination thereof with a plurality of coaxial, irregularly starshaped, rotating disks, and means for deliver-ing separate colors individually to the surfaces of-the disks.

3. A device for distributingcolor upon a surface, comprising a plurality of coaxial, irregularly star-shaped, rotating disks, and

cmeans for delivering separate colors individually to the surfaces of the disks.

4. A device for distributing color upon a surface, comprising a plurality of coaxial rotating disks,"and a lurality of color-receiv-.

bers coaxially mounted with respect to the disks, each. chamber communicating with the surface of one disk.

6. A device for distributing color upon a surface comprising a rotating disk, a color tank, a wheel rotating in the tank, a doctor bearing against the surface of the wheel to I remove color therefrom, a color conduit joining said doctor withthe surface of the disk, and a supplemental doctor adjustably mounted adjacent the wheel to remove a predetermined famount of color therefrom before contact 0 the wheel surface'with the first mentioned doctor.

7. A device for distributing color upon'a surface comprising a plurality of coaxial rotating disks, a plurality of concentric annular chambers each associated with a disk so as to connect with the upper surface thereof, a plurality of color tanks positioned around the axis of the disks, a wheel rotatable in each tank, means for rotatingall the wheels simul taneously, a doctor bearing against the surface of each wheel to remove color therefrom, a pipe joining each of the doctors with one of the annular chambers, and a supplemental I doctor adjustably mounted adjacent each wheel to remove'a redetermined amount of "color therefrom be ore contact of the wheel surface with the first mentioned doctor.

8. 'A device for distributing color upon a surface comprising a plurality of coaxial rotating disks, a plurality of concentric chambers each associated with a disk so as to connect with the upper surface thereof, a plura-lity'of color tanks positioned around the axis of the disks, a wheel rotating in each tank, a doctor bearing against the surface of each wheel to remove color therefrom, and

a pipe joining each of the doctors with one of the annular chambers;

. signature.

RUSSELL S. BRACEWELL. 

